The Containment Contained / Édition touristic: Air D’Istanbul in a Raki bottle

THE CONTAINMENT CONTAINED / ÉDITION TOURISTIC: AIR D’ISTANBUL IN A RAKI BOTTLE2004InstallationThe Future of the Reciprocal Readymade (The use-value of art), apexart, New York. curated by Stephen Wright
With Guven Incilioglu (xurban_collective)

Although pope@xurban could have easily ‘Fedexed’ the raki bottle and sponge from Istanbul [to New York], we are well aware of the fact that all along the globalized systems of transfers, goods of high value (ie. oil or art object) had an overwhelmingly higher priority, whereas people are restrained from international mobility as the subjects of ’containment’. The new Homeland Security measures show that the corporate/state apparatus is deploying more tools for control and restriction. Open society is being altered with a new form of penal complex; a gigantic open-air prison. Temporary residents of this complex, in this case foreigners with specific ethnic origin, are carefully background checked, finger printed, photographed, electronically searched and tagged prior to their entry to the Homeland.

This is the time of war; software is being updated, cameras are being installed, men and women are being trained for the asymmetrical engagement and intelligent bombs are genuinely waiting for their time to speak up. Israelization of US territory is different than what we see in Israel and Turkey, where control and containment are exercised through military checkpoints. In this case, private sector (i.e. airlines, ports, etc…) politely demands voluntary enrollment from its customers, a case of consent as seen in historical instances of ordinary fascisms. Full integration of corporate and government databases make sure that no-one escapes.